David Casa and Roberta Metsola will sit on the special committee on financial crimes, tax evasion and tax avoidance, also known as TAXE3, the EPP said in a statement.
Partit Nazzjonalista’s Head of Delegation in the European Parliament David Casa will be full member on the Committee and Roberta Metsola will sit on the Committee as a substitute. TAXE3 has been set up by the European Parliament as a follow-up to the PANA Committee which focused on the Panama Papers scandal, and in which MEPs David Casa and Roberta Metsola were also members.
MEP David Casa, stated: “Malta’s system is OECD compliant and EU Commission approved. I have consistently defended Malta’s tax sovereignty for the last 14 years and will only double my efforts now that it will be under the spotlight.
We must also be vigilant in terms of the interpretation of VAT rules such as with regard to how they are applied to the yachting industry. The European Commission’s current position on this issue is discriminatory. Malta has a strong case on this issue and it must be presented effectively.
It is unfortunate that our credibility when speaking about the robustness of our regulatory and supervisory authorities is hindered by the continued presence of persons connected to crime at highest levels of the Maltese government. And licensed institutions such as Pilatus Bank and Nexia BT continuing to hold licenses to provide services in the EU despite the body of evidence implicating them in criminal activity. The longer it takes for these issues to be addressed the more difficult it is to safeguard Malta’s rights and position.”
MEP Roberta Metsola stated: “It is important for Malta's voice to be heard on this Committee, which is why the PN delegation will be represented. Our aim in the Committee is to build on all the work that we have done so far in fighting financial crime while protecting Malta’s interests and defending our sovereignty on tax issues.
Our economy is largely built on having competitive taxation policies, which pre-date our EU Membership, and we will always defend our rights in this regard, whether it is pushing back against those who want to label us a tax haven or those who want to force through tax harmonisation across the board. We have always been clear and consistent that smaller economies like Malta’s will be the hardest hit and we will keep fighting our corner.
Our focus in the Committee is to concentrate on what measures are needed to stamp out abuse, ensure proper law enforcement and close any loopholes that allow politicians like disgraced Minister Konrad Mizzi to get away with opening secret offshore companies and allowing his accountants to promise annual deposits of money that he did not have, nor could he legally earn while Minister.”
This special committee will also serve as a forum for a follow-up of the ad-hoc delegation of the European Parliament which visited Malta last December, and which published a damning report on the rule of law in Malta last January.